Elgar Pomp & Circumstance Washington Cathedral

[cross147]

without doubt the best version on youtube!

[a55b47]

@cross147 Are there that many? I haven't checked since I posted this 4 years ago.

[cross147]

@a55b47 I saw 4 or 5 versions ;] I downloaded your film and fixed it. Now sound and video are together :)

[a55b47]

@cross147 Glad to hear that it's fixable. I've been meaning to attempt it for years, & have just never gotten around to it. Priorities, priorities ;-)

[a55b47]

@a55b47 Also, how did you manage to download? I used to use Tubesock for such things, but their mechanism doesn't seem to work any more, & I've never been able to get a response from them about how to fix it.

[cross147]

@a55b47 I'm using jdownloader to this :)

[a55b47]

@a55b47 Thanx

[rfhanso7]

Very Talented! I marched into my graduation ceremory to Pomp & Circumstance! My High School, had an organ, and very talented school musicians that played it well

[begs54]

He is very intense..... What performance. Thank you

[norm29469]

This is an edit to my comment from norm 29469, probably below. In replace for better recording equipment I wrote, by error, "better speakers". We do not need better speakers!

[norm29469]

Why doesn't he simply replay the piece with good stereo speakers. Magnificient performancel. Love it, baby - you are a truly superb organist. You really exploit the echo in that huge building. I would love to hear you play the Fugue in Cminor, Bach and hit that all glorious final coda.

[LiteSkinBear]

WOW.......truly amazing. I had the pleasure and honor of singing with a Methodist Conference Choir and orchestra at the National Cathedral. Something you can't explain but the magic in that place is just something to experience. This performance was a reminder of what great things God can do.

[MVR326]

Breathtaking........

[David97504]

They did not add in electrical stops.. They brought in a Rodgers 4 manual digital organ to replace the pipe organ while the original was refit and they added the 2nd in the back of the church. Its not that the first organ wasn't loud enough. It's that the church is 1/10th of a mile long. The back of the congregation would end up 2 or 3 seconds behind the front when singing. That is why the addition of the 2nd organ in the back of the church was needed.

[hambo2006]

what a nice organist

[steamwally]

Superb, thanks for sharing!

[stanicabi]

Il est excellent, et de visu, sympathique! Hélas, pour moi , Wachi...tong , trop pour moi! J'espère, pour lui qu'il a une gentille femme, ou un gentil compagnon!

J'ai essayé d'apprendre l'anglais, juste à côté de Cardiff, au Pays de Galles (pas du rugby, de l'anglais) Mauvais essai, Isuppose!

[lionhearte1]

Does anyone else think he looks like Orlando Bloom...?

[cury6070]

GReat music !!!!

[silverstartrucker]

Virgil Fox did a much better version on the Wanamaker...

[andypandy22a]

magnificent....I think the problem with the organ at the cathedral is that it doesnt fill the room like one would expect

[danieldevallpb]

very good.. i wanna play this organ.. loverly organ... whos the builder?

[a55b47]

@danieldevallpb . Ernest Skinner built the nucleus in 1938, but it was expanded by several people (working together) in 1963 & during the 70's. 189 ranks now.

[ThirtyTwoFoot]

What do you need two new organs for? This one sounds great the way it is, and it works!!

[Repmanly]

Electronic stops were added just within the last few years in the gallery, only to support congregational singing. This is a temporary "fix" that was implemented when plans for the two new pipe organs were being put in place. The AS instrument up front wasn't reaching down the entire nave. The Dean and Organ Committee decided to do something in the interim. The project is on hold; contracts were awarded (Dobson and Casavant I believe).

[a55b47]

This is the first I'd heard about any electronic supplementation. By "gallery", do you mean what is traditionally called the gallery in most churches -- the rear balcony? Or what the cathedral calls the gallery, which is the elevated area behind the choir lofts (where the "Gallery Positiv" is)?

[Repmanly]

"Gallery" as in rear balcony, at the far end of the nave, under the rose window.

[a55b47]

Thanks. I visit the place frequently, & wasn't aware. I guess they would tend not to use the stops during recitals -- which is when I'm usually there ;-)

[pgnorgan]

I have read all your comments, and this is one of the reasons I have withdrawn my AGO membership. Organists are some of the bitchiest queens in the universe. This is still a wonderful instrument and he plays it beautifully. And it certainly does support service music very well. Who wouldnt give their eye teeth to have an instrument like this to play every Sunday? Lighten up, ladies.

[SuperElBorba]

Calm down Mary . . No one needs your girly ragging . .

[sammyman5]

They do not realize what they are doing if they try to replace the Aeolian-Skinner organ. It would be like repainting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Aeolian-Skinner produced the finest pipe organs in the United States. Ask the Lincoln Center. When they sold their organ they found out they made a mistake and tried to buy the old one back. Especially replacing it with a Casavant. Rather like replacing a Duesenberg with a Hummer. Something new - but nowhere near being in the same class.

[a55b47]

Apparently, according to the Cathedral's web site, the plans for a new organ have been put on indefinite hold. Bad economic times for churches as well as for everyone else.

[squeekydeeks]

Well, it *was* an Aeolian-Skinner (after it was an E.M. Skinner), but that was before the Wicks magnets, Rodgers relays and all those Möller pipes in the Great. Don't forget the hideous 'Post Horn'. Talk to the musicians who have to deal with it every day -- they won't compare it to the Sistine Chapel ceiling, trust me.

[sammyman5]

I still stand by my comment. Yes, it is a Duesenberg that someone put some mag wheels and racing slicks on and an STP sticker in the window - but it is still the classic Skinner at the core. Money would be well spent to discard/add/restore by someone who respects the organ it was and can bring it back again instead of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" - and, please, it is OUR National Cathedral. Let's not put in a foreign organ, especially one that sounds like a bunch of party horns.

[myxklptk]

Some people have more money than they have good sense.

[Georgiaorganist]

Reminds me of a VIrgil Fox performance I once heard...exciting!

[john9dos]

Yes, he can play it fast--but the building has too long of a reverberation time to really make it work. Great organist though.

[roncelliott]

In honour of Mr Thomas Otto's 40th birthday and in recognition of his great contributions to the study of Elgar and large organs, I believe that this will be played again on 17 August 2009 at Washington Cathedral. At least that's what I heard. Happy Birthday Maestro Otto!

[emb0614]

Awesome!!!! Fantastic view!!!

[bvb553]

Thank's Nicholas. Great Work!

[thetatrance]

outstanding work

[BayAreaBiker2001]

The console looks like the one at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.

[a55b47]

Most consoles deisnged by Ernest Skinner tend to look alike.  He had an idea, & he stuck with it.

[stvandy1]

Most Impressive Nicholas with thanks to Elgar.

[cornophile91]

Impressive

[ymanganelli]

WOW.. thats amazing.. is that a pipe organ?

[lorbo77]

this is a great organist!! only some stop choice could be better in the middle part

[tjugofyra]

Why don't they just donate the Skinner to some other big cathedral or several churhes? It's a very fine sounding instrument!

I'm sure the new instrument will sound good as well! They are replacing it for a reason!

[passacaglia28]

Awesome rendition. It is OK if the video is a little off.  This song is really special to me since my sister graduated college today.

[thedeathnight]

XxX

i love it

[eddiealle426624]

Sublime!!!!!!

[belamoure]

nothings against the US anthem but its melodic line is pretty much a challenge to sing but at the organ it is magnificent

[schullieringer]

Bravo! Hat's off 2 U!

[Cindermakers]

We should just be as proud of Elgar as the Germans are of Mozart and Beethoven.

[Orgeltrecker]

Well done. But there is one thing, I'd like to ask: is this the cathedral's main organist?

[a55b47]

Nick White was the cathedral's assistant organist 13 years ago, when this was filmed. He's now working in New York (see his web site).

[mrweberandi]

Beautiful old Aeolin-Skinner. I had the fortune of hearing this instrument in person some years ago. I has some real rumbler 64' stops which I absolutely love.

[ahmelmahe]

F.Y.I. 1) Original organ, E.M. Skinner installed in 1938. 2) Aeolian-Skinner enlarged the E.M. in 1963 and again around 1973. 3) Today, Dobson, et. al. at the east end; Casavant in the west gallery, both playable at a single console. Fabulous mix of instruments if I do say so myself.

[organist99x]

I have to partially agree with you, I can see why the Cathedral would build a new organ in the west end of the cathedral where it takes a long time for the sound to travel from the organ in the east end. Why get rid of the fabulous Skinner though? Love Casavant's sound, but I've never played a Dobson. Are Dobson's that good? I would have just restored the Skinner and built a new Casavant in the west end. Sad to see the Skinner go. Maybe I'll buy some of those lush string pipes.

[anb740]

I'm sure the new instruments sound...interesting. But it just makes me sick that they got rid of the Skinner. That organ had some gorgeous classic Skinner string ranks in it.

[organist99x]

They didn't get rid of it....yet. You're right though, it does give you a sickening feeling that those strings and even the reeds like the Tuba Mirabilis could be removed.

[octavebasse8]

I found out recently that the Cathedral doesn't have the money for the project, so it has come to a halt, for the time being.

[organist99x]

Maybe they'll never have enough money to "replace" the Skinner/Aeolian Skinner. Be nice if they kept it around for a while!

[squeekydeeks]

What I think anb740 is referring to is the complete pillaging of the E.M. Skinner in the A-S rebuild. That's the real tragedy, not that the present semi-functioning mongrel is to be replaced by something that will actually support congregational singing and can accompany a choir. The present organ is only good for effects in some solo literature. As a support to actual church music, it's pretty pathetic.

[bombarde1701]

Actually the 64' Contra Basse is a digital stop added by Rodgers if I'm not mistaken.

[squeekydeeks]

It's definitely electronic. There are a few real A-S pipes that extend the 32' reed into the 64' octave, but with short-length resonators, they sound like a fart in a garbage can.

[winston5610]

I was a bit lost until I noticed that the video is about a half-bar out of sync with the audio (I viewed it before reading the commentary). Whatever aphasic effects may have found their way into the posted material, this was an outstanding performance. Thanks for posting it!

[usasoldier88m]

yea the cathedral has about a 10 second delay. I have also played the organ there, beautiful instrument!

[bvb553]

Great performance on a Great Organ, in a Great Cathedral

[rickymuso1975]

WOW That was absolute Magic it makes me proud to be british. Congratulations on a superb performance!

[Necroman666]

nothing against UK but

your national anthem was not composed for your country as inspiration

[lee1984yate]

Hi there, can you elaborate a bit on what you mean please? Thanks

[Blackbird112290]

My high school graduation was at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, where the same type of organ is, and they played this song at the beginning. So amazing, gives me goosebumps

[organpipe8]

Nicholas - wonderful thanks for sharing this one, haven't seen this one before , great performance. Lance

[Necroman666]

of course he does, but that would be patheticly easy and simple, plus, it sounds horrible and it is intelectualy irrelevant

[Gippesvick]

I don't think the DOM at Clare would have thought very much of a prospective organ scholar offering Justin Timberlake as a voluntary! If you want difficult and impressive music - Sortie from Messe de la Pentecôte, or Les Yeux dans Les Roues, not dull, repetitive crap like Timberlake.

[Tube4ns]

Well done! Many hours of practice + a fine organ = an excellent performace. Thank you!

[BachLoveNat]

Yes...Very...very...very! BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you James :)

[JamesLiverpool76]

Superb performance on what sounds like an awesome instrument in an equally awesome cathedral! Thank you for posting.

[klodg]

C'est bien réussi le transfer entre 5:20 et 5:40 et l'évacuation à la fin.

[gazzyh]

Very nice, shame not to hear the en chamades bringing out the solo though. Good registration though so the full chorus is still clear.

[ktpj]

Different from what one usually hears and extraordinary. Thank you.

[pslob79]

Beautifull!!

[A1mikesmusic]

What an excellent performance this must have taken hundreds of hours of practice to perfect this awesome piece.

A wonderful piece of work, you are the best I have ever heard.

[KR2C]

This piece was written as the 1st part of the Coronation Marches for King Edward VII and 1st played in 1901 I believe. So "Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free" came well after the Star Spangled Banner, which was written as a poem in 1812 I believe.

[Organist61]

Interestingly, the title "Pomp and

Circumstance" refers to Shakespeare: "The Bloody Pomp and Circumstance of War."

I like this performance even a little more than the great Virgil Fox recording.

[pulvaris]

Where I come from, this is called "Land of Hope and Glory" and its a Reference to England. "Mother of the Free" Which you could take to being a little Prophetic considering the American Rebbelion which led to the "home of the brave and Land of the Free" or vice versa, cant remember without looking LOL...ive never heard it played on the Organ, its so much clearer as an orchestration, because you havent got one person playing all of the twiddly bits single handedly! Wowser!!

[Ambidexter143]

I accidently hit negative comment on this post. I apologize to Pulvaris. His remarks are quite appropriate and germane.

[pulvaris]

LOL, think nothing of it :)

[gmcausland]

That solo reed at the very end was revolting and unnecessary, but a very impressive performance. Loved it.

[Organist61]

Agreed. I love the Romantic Instruments, and Washington Cathedral had an instrument flexible enough to support virtually any repertoire as well as support the congregation, even if only in the Great Choir. I'm trying to remember when the Nave was opened - wasn't it in the 1960s?

And I've neglected to thank you for making these videos of Nicholas available. I don't think that I ever met an Organist who was a nicer guy or who loved playing more. Thanks for posting them.

[Organist61]

I love this instrument, and the energy with which Nicholas White plays. He had as much fun playing as we did listening to him!

As to the need for additions, while the old E.M. symphonic image has been long gone, Leo Sowerby's rebuild kept a tremendous breadth of tonal resource. But it did not fully support congregational singing in the Nave, especially toward the West end. At the Investiture in 2007, the Walker electronic voices in the Gallery proved the need for a West end instrument.

[a55b47]

The idea of a West End instrument is great -- perticularly a French-flavored one (which is, I guess, also liturgically correct from a location standpoint, most French instruments being in the rear gallery/tribune).I just question the need to "throw the baby out with the bath water" in front. Skinner's symphonic philosophy may not be up-to-date, but it sure makes for a listenable & exciting instrument.

[Organist61]

Agreed 100% that the Skinner symphonic voicing is wonderful!!

I haven't yet had a chance to hear the Skinner at Severance Hall in Cleveland, but, along with the Newbury Organ at Yale, it may be the only "true" E.M. Skinner of these proportions extant in its original tonal design. I love that sound.

The Cathedral is a living house of Worship. This organ is not in a museum or concert hall, and its function is to support congregational singing. Solo work is important, but secondary.

[Noam129]

The Cathedral is a living house of Worship. This organ is not in a museum or concert hall, and its function is to support congregational singing. Solo work is important, but secondary.

This is BS. The only reason this organ exists is for the pleasure of listeners. Singing and other accompianment is just "noise"

[Organist61]

By the way, have you ever sat at Eucharist in Bethlehem Chapel? That 2m E.M. speaking into the vaulted stone of the Chapel can take your breath away!

[a55b47]

I heard Richard Dirksen play it a couple of times over the years, but can't remember the circumstances. And I've heard Tom Murray on the Woolsey Hall organ. You're right. Pure Skinners in the right acoustics can send chills up your spine. I think WNC's acoustics are spectacularly good for even a much-modified Skinner ;-). And (to get back on my high horse) I think the projection-into-the-nave difficulties could have been resolved without throwing away 150 ranks.

[tyuru2]

its Jesus!!

[theblackhand2]

This organ has over 10,000 pipes and sounds wonderful. I can't believe the Clergy found the organ insufficient for the space. They want to rebuild the existing organ and add two more, one in the transepts, and a large French Style tracker in the rear gallery. Since all the new organs will be playable from a single console, I can't wait to hear what the new organs will sound like.

[organnut]

Thank You for posting this great performance of Elgars' famous Pomp & Circumstance played so beautifully by this very accomplished and talented organist. Please post his name when you track him down. Perhaps he has produced some CD's or DVD's that we could add to our collections. He is very talented and a great pleasure to watch and hear. Fabulous!!! Also, many thanks for your extended efforts to render you analog video to post on YouTube. You did an excellent job of recording the event.

[madtam]

I've only heard this piece played on organ once before and I have to say this is a tremendous effort, well done whoever it was.

[bhigdaddymark]

I've played all of the important Skinners in NYC: Riverside, St. Barts, St. Thomas 5th Ave., St. John the Divine etc. This is the one last Skinner that I haven't played yet and I better hurry! Eric Wm. Suter extended the invite, and the thought of the Skinner being replaced makes me ill. They should really think this one over more.

[a55b47]

I've got my fingers crossed in the hope the authorities don't mess too much with one of my favorite old Skinners at St. John the Unfinished. We'll see late this year, I guess. I know the Nat'l Cathedral beast has some projection problems, in that the only place you can get the full impact is sitting in the choir. But the thought of dismantling one of the great classic American instruments & replacing it with ANYTHING (even if it's supplemented by a Casavant in the gallery) leaves me cold.

[cromorne]

You know, I have a story on this. A church I go to has a 1904 Hutchings-Votey organ. Only the blower has been updated and nothing else. Neglect has been the organ's friend, and kept it's beautiful diapasons and strings intact. Although it has some dead notes, it is still an effective and beautiful instruments. RESTORE, do not REPLACE. (The church actually brought in an Allen and it is nasty)

[Salmagundiii]

I'm sick about this too. You don't see all the cathedrals of Europe and England rushing to replace their instruments with something more fashionable, which - let's not kid ourselves - is really the impetus being trashing the Skinner. The projection problems could be fixed. Why not just add the 2nd organ and refurbish the Skinner?

[a55b47]

I'm with you, Salmagundi. But I think this train is already too far down the track.

[theblackhand2]

I believe most of the Skinner's pipework will be included in the new organ that will go in the east end. They can do what ever they want with the case work. But as long as they keep the sound of the original pipe work intact and insure the additions and the new rear gallery organ compliment the original sound, I'll be fine with that. Still I can't believe 10,000 pipes is not enough.

[a55b47]

They're keeping around 40 ranks of the existing 189. I suppose that will allow them to keep some of the Skinner ranks. Not enough, as far as I'm concerned.

[theblackhand2]

I guess 40 ranks is better than nothing. I hope the Skinner's incredible trumpete enchamade is among those 40 ranks. Anyway I believe Dobson and Casavant are the two organ builders responsible for the project. I've listened to organs from both companies much to my delight. So I'm confident both builders will do WNC justice.

[a55b47]

I've got my fingers crossed. I've heard Dobsons & Casavants, & (for the most part) I like them, too. But I'm from the school of thought that says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[Choirman59]

There isn't all that much left of the SKINNER (E.M.) anyway; most is AEOLIAN-SKINNER which had little regard for "the old man's" work. The A-S has also been "tinkered with" over the years, and can hardly be considered to be "original." I'm sure Dobson will keep the BEST of both EMS & A-S. It does have a beautiful sound, but it does die away past the crossing, especially for singing. New divisions speaking to the crossing will help, as will the Casavant west end organ.

[2468HOTROD]

Wow! Awesome, thank you for this video and Merry Christmas to you all. This cathedral has a great and powerful organ.

[cromorne]

Is that a Diapason or Trumpet used as the solo voice after all the dialogue? I saw Virgil Fox play this and always thought of it as being a good 8' Trumpet.

[Salmagundiii]

It sounds like a diapason to me, I could be wrong though.

[squeekydeeks]

Ha Ha...it must be a great organ when you can't tell a Diapason from a Trumpet. LOL

[cromorne]

It could also be the recording, placement of the recording equipment, age of the recording... Not necessarily the instrument itself.

[swellshades]

NICE JOB!!! Who *is* this organist???

[buffedtrainer]

who is the organist? does anyone know his name, and does he live and play @ the Washington Cathedral? this dude is AMAZING!!!!

[a55b47]

See my response to JackReimer below. I know the organist's name, but I'd like to get his permission before I broadcast it, & I'm having trouble contacting him. He's no longer @ the cathedral.

[Salmagundiii]

Oh, is that who it is? I think I know who you are talking about. He's also a skilled composer and arranger.

[IIIFourniture]

Always loved the Elgar organ transcription. Glad to see it captured. Agree, the organist is good.  Who is he?

[a55b47]

See my response to JackReimer below. I wish I could give the organist the credit he's due, but can't do that until I can track him down. Widor was organist at St. Sulpice for 64 years, but, unfortunately, most members of the profession are forced to move around quite a bit more often ;-) .. And sometimes, it's difficult to follow their footsteps.

[giufighter]

bravo

[DesireeDeFete]

I think all they need to do is pull the Skinner out about 15-20 feet and clean up the voicing on it. But, they are gung-ho about the new project.

[a55b47]

I'm with you. I love that old beast. I do like the idea of the Casavant in the rear of the nave, though. The older I get, the more I gravitate to the sound of a Cavaille-Coll in the back of a big reverberant room. If Casavant could just duplicate St. Ouen here in DC, I'd be in heaven.

[JackReimer]

Excellent performance on a large and complex instrument. Who is the organist? He is very good.

[a55b47]

Can't tell you yet. I filmed it, so I have the right to Tube it, but I'd like to get his permission before telling the world who he is. I'm working on uploading a few more of the pieces we recorded, but, as a Tube neophyte, I'm still grappling with the intricacies of tranferring an old VHS tape to the digital/internet world.

[egstutz]

Splendid in every way. Is this the EMSkinner re-done? Wow. Thanks for posting this.

[a55b47]

The 1938 Skinner was re-done several times in the 70's by Aeolian-Skinner(with help from some very able local Washington folks),& is now 189 ranks/10,650 pipes.They're going to tear the whole thing out next year & replace it with a Dobson in the front (using a lot of the old Skinner pipes)& a Casavant "French" style in the rear: all playable from a central console.I expect the combination will rank(pun intended)as one of the world's largest instruments.